Sanskrit training to ‘Gurus’ in U.P. before free online lessons to students
The initiative has been started to impart free Sanskrit training to the subject teachers to help fulfil the promise of the ‘Sankalp Patra’— ‘We will provide free online Sanskrit training for students’.
Efforts have begun to fulfil a promise made in Bharatiya Janata Party’s Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra-2022 issued in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
The initiative has been started to impart free Sanskrit training to the subject teachers to help fulfil the promise of the ‘Sankalp Patra’— ‘We will provide free online Sanskrit training for students’.
District inspector of schools (DIOS)-Prayagraj PN Singh has sought a list of all Sanskrit subject assistant teachers and lecturers working in their respective schools from the principals of all government-run and government-aided secondary schools of the district.
“Out of these, 100 selected Sanskrit teachers will be given a five-day training by experts of Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan, Lucknow in the district institute of education and training (DIET)-Prayagraj,” informed DIOS-Prayagraj PN Singh confirming the move.
The DIOS missive dated September 16, a copy of which is with HT, also has attached a letter of secretary, Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Sanskrit Shiksha Parishad, Lucknow Radha Krishna Tiwari which makes plain that such 100 Sanskrit teachers nominated by the respective DIOSs of all 75 districts (total numbering 7500) would be given similar online training at their respective DIETS. The training to these selected teachers would be given by a team of five experts of Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan, Lucknow, the letter explains.
In 2021 a state-wide recruitment process for contractual Sanskrit teachers against over 1,000 vacant posts existing in as many as 500 government-aided Sanskrit secondary schools functioning across Uttar Pradesh was undertaken by the state government.
The Yogi government announced this major Sanskrit teacher recruitment in Uttar Pradesh in July 2021 to boost Sanskrit language learning in the state and to overcome the shortage of teachers in Sanskrit schools. The Sanskrit teacher recruitment drive by the UP government was also part of its commitment to promote Sanskrit and streamline the system of learning the ancient language.
As part of efforts to provide a fillip to Sanskrit education in UP, the state government is also helping government-aided Sanskrit secondary schools in Uttar Pradesh willing to take benefit of the state government’s ‘Project Alankar’ scheme and get their buildings renovated.
To be eligible to receive funds from the state government under this initiative, the school managements need to bear 50% of the renovation cost. For the second consecutive year, the state government on August 26 earmarked a budget of ₹28 crore for this mission and has sought a proposal from district magistrates to renovate the dilapidated buildings of aided Sanskrit secondary schools in their respective districts. Under the initiative, such schools with 100 to 250 students can be offered a maximum of ₹25 lakh (if the school is non-residential) or ₹50 lakh (if the school is residential) with the support going up to ₹50 lakh and ₹75 lakh respectively if the school has 250 to 500 students while the maximum support of ₹75 lakh can be extended if the school is residential and has over 500 students dependent upon their meeting other set criteria under the scheme.